Low To No Cost Solutions That Will Increase Sales

Presented by Jennifer Boland May 15, 2014

10

About Jennifer Boland…Jennifer Boland started her career as a Kirby Vacuum salesperson fresh out of high school. Within 3 months she was promoted because she had quickly become a top producer and began hiring and training people to sell Kirby vacuums. This proved to be a great training ground for the car business! In 1999, she began selling cars and ended up working for a company with an outside call center “BDC” for car dealers. She decided that she could help stores set-up their own BDCs, and went to work starting more than a few BDCs for dealers before striking out on her own in 2007.

After setting up many BDCs, she evolved her business model to help dealers close more of the email leads they were getting, focusing on implementing a process that would support a higher closing ratio, with or without a BDC.

In 2009, she began promoting and partnering with other companies to bring a higher level of digital exposure and software application and utilization to her clients, crucial in today’s market. These partnerships include Now Marketplace, Inc., Phone Ninjas, DealerKnows, StoryTailer Inc., eLeads, Autobytel Inc., Dealer e-Process and the Next Up.

Together they focus, strategize, and implement to help dealers sell more cars by increasing their lead volume, improving their Internet presence, creating transparency and accountability and adjusting and supporting their process through continuous training and support.

• Customers used to go to 4 dealers before they purchased - now they go to 1.2

• Although studies show the average consumer spends 18 hours researching the vehicle they want to buy… Do we really know how many get in their car and visit the dealership before picking up the phone or submitting a lead?

• In 15M records only 56% of consumers didn’t get a test drive and only 46% of ups were entered in a CRM (this includes dealers who have been focused on increasing their percentages)

• Nationally Close Ratios on Fresh ups Result in a 14% CR

• Appointments continue to close at a 48% CR

*Source- the Next Up

1. Maximize Showroom Traffic & Stats

Where are all the ups?

You don’t know what you don’t measure…

Case Study- Small Bay Area Honda Dealership

Month 1: 220 Ups, 30 Appts, 43% TD, 25% W/Up, 12% CR = 33 Sales

Identify Opportunities

Increased Appointments Shown, Test Drive and Write Ups

199 Ups, 42 Appts, 54% TD, 36% W/Up, 20% CR= 57 Sales

Make Necessary Moves

Cynthia moves into Service174 Ups, 63 Appts, 67% TD, 48% W/Up, 26% CR= 71

Sales

Up Counters….Can Call-in Sick...Can Be Influenced By The Salespeople12 Hours A Day 7 Days A Week- At $8/Hr Cost- $35,000 A Year

How Can You Track Your Ups…?

or

• Electronic, Web-based Rotation- With Text Notifications

• A True “Defined” Process• Sales Staff Knows Where To Be And When• 100% Accountability• Minimal Coverage, Maximum Efficiency• Increased Value Of The Guest ,“UP”

Sales Staff Can No Longer Drop A Walk-in Guest And Go Right Back To The Point!

• More Time For Follow Up • Added Focus On Setting Appointments• Cost- Approx $15,000 A Year

Depending On The Store Size

2. Drive Sales through Service• Create An Oil Change Program If Your Manufacturer

Doesn’t Already• BMW and Toyota have embraced the understanding that if you

can keep a customer in your service drive for the first 5 oil changes you have a greater chance of retaining their future sales business

• If your manufacturer doesn’t do it for you… do it yourself• Then make sure they come in for their free oil changes

• Create A Challenge For Your Sales Department To Drive Sales

“Our Challenge is to help you trade your current vehicle and keep your payments close to the same with little or no money out of pocket.” “Just for accepting the challenge we will give you a $25 voucher for parts or service good today or anytime in the next 6 Months.”

If you have an up rotation, move them to the top when they write someone up that has an open RO -- Reward Just Like You Would For An Appointment

3. Establish An Appointment Culture In Your Dealership

• Require that your salespeople have an appointment that day in

order to take an up

• Have an Appointment Board for Sales People and Customers

• Send out Appointment Confirmations via email and text - Think Like

A Dentist

• Managers should confirm every appointment

• Retain and Manage a missed appointment list

• Reward in every way you can for Appointment Focused

Salespeople

Shown Appointments Close at 50-80%

4. Insist That Your Incoming Sales Calls Be The Priority That They Are

• 80% of your phone traffic will buy within 3-5 days• 90% will buy within 10 days• Less than 25% of sales people will ask for the full name of

the caller• Less than 15% of sales people will ask for the phone number• Less than 5% of salespeople will attempt to have their

information put into writing• Greater than 50% of the time salespeople will often provide

customers with too much information• The National Closing Ratio on Phone Ups is 5%

*Source- Phone Ninjas

Treat Them Like You Would An Up… Review And Train

• Monitor your phone sources and track your appointment results by source

• Review your calls and train your staff when they are not asking the correct questions

• If you don’t have time to review your calls, outsource to Phone Ninjas or Call SourceFor $30 per shop the accountability is invaluable…

even if some just stop taking calls because they don’t want to be reviewed you're better off

• Make sure you review live calls and keep in mind once you stop reviewing they will go back to their old ways

5. Utilize 3rd Party Leads To Increase Sales• Name one Advertising Source

where you can spend $1,000 and get 50 guaranteed good names, emails and numbers of people who are interested in the product that you offer

• Submit your lead credits and constantly measure your results!

• Autobytel Partnered with Polk and matched leads to sales from 16-25% and that doesn’t include private information

• Have a long term follow up process and review your stores polk reports if you are an Autobytel dealer

6. Measure your ROI on your Internet Lead Sources and Track Activity

• Keep in mind CRMs can be manipulated by the user

• You should look at every lead individually

• Submit your lead credits

• Measure older lead success with current lead success

• Cut sources when you can’t improve results after a 90 day action plan

Drill Down on ActivityCase Study-

Orlando Hyundai

January 2011 Vs.

Dec 2012

7. Combine your BDC and Sales Department Efforts

• Your salespeople are the best (or should be the best) people to talk to your customer– They have better product knowledge and should know when to speak

and how to better overcome objections– Most salespeople will not follow up with a customers more than 2 or 3

attempts– They are not always the best of keeping track of customer information

• Utilize your BDC as fisherman - their job is to dial and dial– Make sure they are excellent appointment setters and are good at

transitioning the customer when they can’t set the appointment themselves

– Allow them manage the checks and balances of making sure the customer was logged and the result

• A Salesperson can spend hours with 1 customer and typically works a 9-12 hour shift. A BDC rep should make at least 20 dials an hour and work 5-6 hour shifts

• Walk Ins - If they don’t like the salesperson they won’t typically share that info with the salesperson

• Internet Leads - The average lead takes 9 phone call attempts to reach once

8. Big BDC, Small BDC, or No BDC What’s the right fit for the culture of your store

• BIG BDC- Manager, CSRs, Sales people, Service Calls – Do you or can you sell over 100 Cars a Month?– Do you have some salespeople who shouldn’t be on the phone or are difficult to

understand– Are you struggling to maintain a 10% plus Close Ratio on your internet Leads– How focused on appointment setting is your dealership?– Do you currently have a solution for CSI, Service Appointments Confirmations,

Lost Souls, Declined Serviced, or Aged Special Order Parts

• Small BDC- Manager & Salespeople– Do you sell less than 100 Cars a Month– Can your Salespeople benefit from some higher accountability and phone training– Would your store benefit from an extra 500 outgoing calls a week?

• No BDC– Do you have a Sales Management Staff that embraces your CRM efforts?– Are your Sales Managers good on the phones and do they have time to call

customers?– Will your Sales Managers make calls and can they train salespeople on how to

make calls?

9. Internalize your Review Gathering Process

What are you currently doing to be proactive about managing your online

reputation?

Train your service advisors and sales staff on how to

influence your online reputation and provide a

webpage and custom review card. SPIFF them!

10. Make your #1 Traffic Source Look like a $20,000 Ad

Don’t Let People Go To Your Website And See This

10. Make Your Homepage POP!

UPDATE YOUR SPECIALS!

Christy Roman (407) 256-2645

Fast. Profitable. Internet.

Thank you!

Jennifer Boland(209) 482-0423

jennifer@simplythebestbdc.com